Butchers and bakers are the latest target of a campaign to stamp out exploitation of workers in South Australia.The Federal Workplace Ombudsman has written to almost 500 businesses alerting them to a crackdown on the food services industry. Up to 100 employers will be randomly selected for audit by workplace inspectors to ensure staff are being properly paid. Executive Director Michael Campbell said the decision to closely scrutinise butchers and bakers follows an increase in complaints. “One... Read more »
Australian restaurants could soon be forced to follow some of their American counterparts by posting calorie counts on menus. The Preventative Health Taskforce, set up to provide recommendations to the Federal Government on health policy going forward, is contemplating a number of labelling approaches. The Taskforce is to submit the ‘National Preventative Health Strategy’ to the Department of Health and Ageing in June this year, with many potential changes affecting all in the food industry. Chairman... Read more »
A Federal Government survey has discovered bacteria levels in some raw meats to be higher than expected, according to The Australian, which claimed the results of the survey had been withheld due to concerns about the potential impact on Christmas sales. The survey, did, however, establish ’superbugs’ were not yet prevalent in Australian food. Escherichia coli, commonly known as E.coli, was found in 69 per cent of poultry, 29.7 per cent of beef and 18.1 per cent of pork, but only 1 per... Read more »
Streets is today launching an innovative marketing campaign, encouraging customers to buy a Cornetto product to potentially find an MP3 player inside. In what is suggested to be a world-first, winners will find a Samsung S2 Pebble MP3 vacuum sealed inside their Cornetto cone, which is exactly the same weight, size and texture as a genuine Streets Cornetto. Winners will also be able to claim a free Cornetto to compensate for the fact that their original purchase of what they thought to be an ice-cream... Read more »
Amidst global financial meltdown and looming job losses, businesses - and employees - are apprehensive about what’s in store for 2009. Business information analysts IBISWorld have compiled a list of the “riskiest” industries this year, as well as those which are likely to be safe despite turbulent economic times.While the risk forecasts take historical data into account, they largely look ahead and consider vital information about the dynamic business environment and influencing... Read more »
Kraft Australia has requested approval from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to use phytosterol esters in their low-fat cream cheeses and low-fat processed cheeses. Phytosterol esters, commonly known as plant sterols, are prepared by the reaction of phytosterols with fatty acid methyl esters or free fatty acids. They occur naturally at low levels in common vegetable oils and have been reported as an effective way to reduce cholesterol absorption. Phytosterols are classified as a ‘novel... Read more »
Peak retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has advised that, after very slow November Christmas sales, the stimulus package and lower interest rates helped Christmas sales skyrocket in the last weeks of December to meet early projections of $37 billion nationally in retail sales. Food retail was not surprisingly at the top of the tree as consumers got into the festive spirit. In fact, food sales accounted for more than one third of retail sales over the period. According... Read more »
A Chinese restaurant in the Sydney suburb of Cremorne has been fined over $12,000 for filthy premises.North Sydney Council successfully prosecuted the Canton BBQ House on Military Road for five serious breaches of food laws in May last year. “This is yet another example of councils acting appropriately to safeguard consumers,” NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said. “I congratulate councils for taking on their new responsibilities as food safety regulators, obliging... Read more »
Woolworths has today launched a corporate rebranding including a new logo, representing the biggest change to the communication of their brand since the introduction of “The Fresh Food People” just over two decades ago. The new logo, which resembles a peeling apple, is set to be added to over 100,000 staff shirts, 800 trucks, their trolleys and plastic bags and in their 780 supermarkets. It already appears at 30 stores, all of which have been recently opened or refurbished. The logo will... Read more »
Uncle Tobys - owned by Nestlé - is set to vie for the ‘Best Workplace Health and Safety Management System’ category at the Safe Work Australia Awards - the premier national awards for recognising excellence in workplace safety. Thirty eight finalists across five award categories were announced on Friday for the fourth annual awards. “The high calibre of this year’s finalists is a great indication of the leadership and commitment to improve OHS right across Australia,”... Read more »